Toxins in Candles: Sad, But True

There’s nothing like the gentle flicker of a candle flame, and a warm, sweet scent filling your home to evoke feelings of peace and wellness.

Except when that candle is actually filling your home with toxic chemicals and contributing to indoor air pollution.

I know. I hear that sigh, and have sighed myself many times. It can be discouraging. We work so hard to eat healthy, stay fit, and rid our homes and bodies of toxins, only to find that something as simple and innocent as a pretty candle on our mantle or kitchen windowsill is actually a culprit in the war against our health and wellbeing.

Sometimes I want to stop bringing these bits of information to the surface, to take a break from being such a party pooper all the time. I want to tell you, “Go on. Enjoy that scented candle. Don’t even give it a second thought”. But I can’t.

Party pooper or not, I have such a burden to keep on sharing, and educating, and working my buns off to get the knowledge out there that all of these regular, everyday products we fill our homes and lives and bodies with are just not good for us.

I’m going to tell you why I think you need to reconsider your use of candles, but then I’m also going to share some encouraging ways to bring back those pretty scents, oh yes, and even some healthy candle options as well. Non-toxic living does NOT mean boring, un-enjoyable, avoid-everything-pleasant living, so hang with me a little while longer, won’t you, friend?

Scented candles may have lead or lead cores in the wick, which releases dangerous amounts of lead into your home through the candle soot. Candle wicks are supposed to be made from pure paper or cotton, but a University of Michigan study in the late 1999 found that 30% of candles in the USA still released lead into the air, in amounts higher than is considered safe by the EPA (and personally, I’m not sure that I would consider there to be a “safe” level). Legislation was passed in the USA to ban lead in wicks in 2003, but it is still present in some candles which make their way onto store shelves, particularly those that are imported (made in China or Taiwan, for example). For my fellow Canadians, there has not yet been a Canadian ban on lead in candle wicks.

Two particularly toxic chemicals, benzene and toluene, are found in the sooty residue from burning candles. Benzene is cancer-causing and toluene affects the central nervous system.

Artificial scents and colors may be irritants to some people and/or trigger allergic reactions.

Other toxic chemicals that may be present in the paraffin mixture and released through burning include: Acetone, Trichlorofluoromethane, Carbon Disulfide, 2-Butanone, Trichloroethane, Trichloroethene, Carbon Tetrachloride, Tetrachloroethene, Chlorobenzene, Ethylbenzene, Styrene, Xylene, Phenol, Cresol, Cyclopentene. Some of the toxins are found in other products such as paint, laquer and varnish removers– that’s potent and powerful stuff!

The Very Best Options for Candles

Beeswax

I ever so sadly cut out 95% of my candle use several years ago when I realized that they were toxic. Although I still find beeswax candles pricey enough that I buy and use them infrequently, they are definitely my top choice for a healthy candle option. They are absolutely pure and burn clean.

Beeswax is about as natural a product as you can find. It is simply a natural wax that is made by bees and collected from the hives by beekeepers. It has a light scent of honey, which I find extremely beautiful and soothing. They can also sometimes be found with essential oils for added scent, although they are just lovely au naturel.

Color options range between off-white, yellow (most common) and light browns (like these beauties) for un-dyed beeswax candles, but you can also find brilliantly hued candles made with non-toxic dyes. Make sure to look for 100% beeswax, as some companies will use only a portion of beeswax mixed with regular paraffin, and then label them as “beeswax candles”. This isn’t what you want. Go for the truly pure stuff.

One option that beeswax allows is the ability to easily make your own. You can purchase sheets of beeswax to roll into various types of taper and pillar candles. You can also easily melt beeswax granules into glass jars to make your own.

Soy

I have a bit of a conundrum about whether I like supporting soy farming, which is the only thing that holds me back from giving soy candles my full support. Almost all soy in North America is genetically-modified, either on purpose or because it has become contaminated by nearby farms that are using GMO seed. I also wonder if a vote “yes” for soy is a bit of a vote for Monsanto, whose evils I will refrain from ranting about for the purposes of this post. All that said, I don’t think that there is any physical harm from using soy candles made from GMO soy, but I would generally prefer to put my money into supporting local beekeepers above soy farming.

As with beeswax candles, these come in a wide variety of colors and natural scents, and you do need to look for the 100% soy label as well, to avoid candles made with part soy, part paraffin. Though I haven’t tried it, you can also buy soy wax and make your own gorgeous soy and beeswax jar candles.

Stephanie Langford has a passion for sharing ideas and information for homemakers who want to make healthy changes in their homes, and carefully steward all that they've been given. She has written three books geared to helping families live more naturally and eat real, whole foods, without being overwhelmed, without going broke and with simple meal planning. She is the creator of Keeper of the Home.

97 thoughts on “Toxins in Candles: Sad, But True”

Hi, I read your article and started searching for Jo Malone candle information. I couldn’t find any. Do you know if they are safe? However, I stumbled upon this link from candles.org which basically says that everything you and other bloggers are saying about the hazards of certain candles is not true. I’m shocked. http://www.candles.org/about_faq.html I believe some candles are toxic but I thought candles.org would know better. :)

Olive Oil Lamps from Lehmans.com are perfect solutions to having a clean bright flame. They are very inexpensive too with all kinds of options including using your own lamp container, and 2 ozs burn for hours, so it is actually less expensive to burn olive oil than candles. As for scents, buy essential oils and ad to your olive oil.
Check it all our or google Merry Corliss Lamps and read the many established Blogs. Jim

I’m pregnant and candles have been part of my evening relaxation rituals. A friend sent me to this site and I’m kind of saddened by what I’ve read. Right now, we have Yankee candles and White Barn candles from Bath and Body Works. BBW said they have the highest concentration of the richest fragrance oils, a blend of vegetable wax, and lead free wicks. There’s nothing helpful on the bottom of my Yankee candles. Do you guys know if those two brands are bad???

I have nothing but Bath and Body Works candles. I’ve noticed that with continuous use of these candles the filter has become very black and Sooty over a short period of time. Also my ceiling fans seem to get besides normal dust an abundance of black something… What I’m guessing is also soot.
I love the scent of my candles, but I can only imagine what these candles are doing for the rest of my home but more importantly my Lungs!!
Any suggestions on a different company that has really good scented candles.?

Pink Zebra is 100% American Made Soy candles, and was sprinkles that can be used in any flame-less melting/simmer pot. Pink Zebra Home was also recently voted as one of the fastest growing companies in 2013.

I just had my A/C check up and was just told the devastating news about scented candles and why there is black on my A/C vents with shades of gray around the ceiling. I am heartbroken as I LOVE candles, but my (our) health is much more important and as a newly-diagnosed asthmatic, I appreciate the honesty. I can’t handle products like inscents or room deoderizing sprays, so I guess I will look for other options like oils/diffusers.